Limiting radiation exposure to
normal tissue around the heart and
lungs is a primary concern during
breast cancer treatment. CentraState Medical Center is now one
of the few facilities in New Jersey
to offer a new, state-of-the-art
technique called deep inspiration
breath hold, a method of delivering
radiation only when the patient is
holding their breath at a specified
level.

“By doing that, the lungs and
chest wall expand, moving the heart
away from the breast and out of the
treatment field,” says Dr. Neesha
Rodrigues, radiation oncologist.

“The radiation beam only comes onduring the ideal respiratory point. Ifthe patient needs to exhale, we turnthe radiation beam off. It’s meant tobe as comfortable as possible for thepatient.”Incidental radiation to the heart,as well as the risk of developingradiation-induced heart diseaselong-term, is significantly de-creased. That, in turn, can lead to adecreased chance of future cardiacevents.

“We look at each patient individu-ally and this technique may not befor everyone,” said Dr. Rodrigues.“We use other techniques as well todecrease radiation dose to the heart,including treatment in the proneposition (lying on the stomach)where the breast falls away from thechest wall. The technique we usedepends on each person’s particu-lar anatomy and circumstances,ensuring that they will get the besttreatment tailored to them.”“At CentraState we put a big focuson not only curing a patient’s cancer,but also on sparing normal tissues tothe greatest extent possible to mini-mize the risk of potential long-termside effects,” says Dr. Rodrigues.901 West Main StreetFreehold, NJ 07728732-431-2000CentraState.com

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Confirming Breast Cancer
Treatment Options

According to Dr. Michelle O’Shea,
medical director of breast services
at Hackensack Meridian Health,
Mountainside Medical Center,
important news in the treatment of
breast cancer was presented earlier
this year by the primary investigators of the ongoing and randomized
TAILORx trial.

Currently, breast cancers thatare estrogen receptor positive andlymph node negative in womenunder age 75 are tested for a recur-rence score that predicts the riskof breast cancer being found againwithin the next decade in womentreated only with hormone therapypills after surgery. “It has been clearthat scores under 18 are low riskand scores over 30 are high riskand benefit from chemotherapy,” shesaid. “Based on the first update of theTAILORx trial earlier this year, womenage 50 or older with breast cancersthat have a tumor recurrence score ofless than 26 do not need chemotherapyafter surgery. This evidence removesmuch of the anxiety related to anintermediate score and the decision toadd chemotherapy to a woman’s breastcancer treatment plan.”

Thanks to more sophisticated techniques and procedures, revisionary
breast reconstruction has become
much more common these days, especially for breast cancer patients, according to Dr. Robert Zubowski. “The
process of reconstruction has advanced
dramatically over the years,” he says.
“I am seeing many more patients for
revisions to enhance the appearance
of their reconstructed breast. That can
mean we’re changing implants, doing